400 Diamonds Adorn Serena Williams' Nike Shoes in US Open Swan Song

In what is expected to be the final tournament of her illustrious 27-year tennis career, Serena Williams stepped onto the court in the first round of the US Open in Flushing, NY, wearing custom Nike shoes emblazoned with 400 hand-set diamonds.

Prior to the match, which she handily won in straight sets over Danka Kovinic, the 23-time Grand Slam champion shared an unboxing video on Instagram where she called the shoes "epic, flashy and amazing."

Williams pointed out that Nike collaborated with Serena Williams Jewelry to modify the PE NikeCourt Flare 2 shoes to include solid gold lace deubrés (ornamental shoelace tags) that spell out "QUEEN" and "MAMA" in glistening diamonds against a ground of black ceramic. The Swooshes are rendered in Swarovski crystals.

She concluded the video by joking that the shoes were too nice to wear on the court.

"I can't just wear these, right?" she asked. "I just need to let them sit in this box in my bedroom. This is so wild and so crazy and I've never worn better shoes for the Open. I am excited. Thank you, Nike."

On its website, Nike noted that Williams took a hands-on-approach to designing her 2022 look.

She paired the blinged-out black shoes with a black outfit inspired by the graceful competition dresses worn by figure skaters. The crystal-encrusted bodice alludes to the night sky above center court in Flushing. The six-layer skirt is a nod to her six prior US Open titles.

Having beaten Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the 2022 US Open, the 40-year-old Williams will set her sights on second-seed Anett Kontaveit in round two. This will be their first-ever meeting on the WTA tour and it's expected to be a barn burner.

The 26-year-old Kontaveit told reporters that she was rooting for Williams in the first round and relished the opportunity to play against her. The match is slated for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App.

"I'm really looking forward to it," she said. " I'm not sure if I'll ever experience something like this again."

Credits: Serena Williams' unboxing screen capture via Instagram / serenawilliamsjewelry. Apparel photos by Nike. US Open photo by Edwin Martinez from The Bronx, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Philly Premium Ice Cream Brand Creates 'Wife Jawn' Pint for Surprise Proposal

There are few things in the world Philadelphian Sarah Keller loves more than a pint of Milk Jawn's delectable Troop Leader-flavor ice cream. So, when her boyfriend, Paul Kimball, planned to pop the question recently, he conspired with the brand's founder and CEO, Amy Wilson, to make the romantic event even more special.

“Oh my God, I was totally honored,” Wilson told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I thought it was amazing.”

Wilson and Kimball worked with the brand's design firm to create a custom pint that would look and feel like a conventional Milk Jawn product, except for a few key modifications.

Milk Jawn would be rebranded as "Wife Jawn" and the variety would be called "The Forever Flavor."

Ice cream played a vital role in the couple's courtship. After the their first dinner date back in February of 2021, Kimball told Keller that he needed to stop by his house to pick up something special for the second part of the date, which would take them to a nearby park.

It was a pint of Troop Leader, a creamy mix overflowing with Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. Keller had revealed her ice cream preference during an earlier online conversation.

“I thought it was incredibly sweet that he had picked up on the fact it was my favorite ice cream and he planned ahead,” she told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It was just one of the signs of his thoughtfulness, and an early sign of how wonderful he is.”

On August 14, Kimball had the professionally designed pint container of Wife Jawn stowed away in a backpack during the couple's romantic getaway to Sea Isle City Beach, just south of Ocean City, NJ. Kimball had requested an empty container because he knew the ice cream wouldn't survive the beach day and because he wanted to save it as a keepsake.

After several hours at the shore, Kimball told his girlfriend that he had brought along some ice cream. Sarah shot back that there's no way ice cream could have stayed frozen in a backpack for that long.

“I pulled out the pint and handed it to her," he said, "and while she was reading [the label], I used it as a distraction get down on one knee to propose.”

Keller was overwhelmed with emotion as her boyfriend presented her with an oval diamond mounted on a simple gold band.

"I looked down and he was kneeling in front of me with his cute little face holding the ring,” she told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He said some sweet things to me, I don’t remember what they were, and then he asked me to marry him.”

Of course, she said, "Yes" — even though the container was empty.

On its Instagram page, Milk Jawn told the romantic story and posted pics of the custom ice cream container and the newly engaged couple.

“It’s our most-liked post out of everything we’ve ever posted,” Wilson said.

Although the wedding date and venue have yet to be determined, Keller is certain about one thing: Ice cream has to be on the menu.

“And if it can be Milk Jawn, all the better,” she said.

Established in Wilson's kitchen back in 2012, Milk Jawn has grown into a Philadelphia-area favorite. The delicacy is made Philly-style (without eggs), using local Pennsylvania dairy products.

The word "jawn," if you were wondering, is Philadelphia slang for literally anything. The noun can stand in for objects, places, people and events. As the website guidetophilly.com explained, "jawn can mean nothing and everything."

Credits: Images via Instagram.com / milkjawn; Instagram.com / kellahhhhhandpaul.kimball.

Dogged Metal Detector Enthusiast Won't Give Up, Pulls Ring From Ocean on 3rd Try

Donning a headlamp and wetsuit, 60-year-old metal detector enthusiast Lou Asci waded waist-deep into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Hampshire to rescue a diamond wedding ring lost a week earlier by 29-year-old Francesca Teal. It was the third time Asci searched the site.

“I don’t take failure all too well,” Asci told The Boston Globe. “I wanted to go back and give it one last shot.”

Teal had lost her cherished family heirloom on August 6 while tossing a football with her husband, Austin, in the shallows at North Beach in Hampton, NH, about 40 miles north of Boston. The soldered-together engagement ring/wedding band combo carried extreme sentimental value because the rings had been passed down from her great-grandmother.

“This one throw hit my hand, and I saw the ring pop off my finger and go into the water,” Teal told The Globe. “In that moment, my heart dropped.”

Austin marked the approximate spot the ring hit the water. They borrowed a pair of goggles from a nearby beachgoer, but couldn't find the ring. After two hours, the gave up.

When the got home, Teal then turned to social media for help. She posted a plea and a reference photo on the Hampton Beach Residents & Friends Facebook page.

She wrote," “Hello! Long shot here… earlier today I was at The Wall, North Beach, Hampton N.H. & unfortunately lost my wedding ring in the ocean. We searched for hours with no luck… hoping this gets to anyone who might have a metal detector and goes to North Beach frequently. It was in front of/around the 18th street area… just hoping if someone does happen to find it it can make its way back to me… I appreciate all the help from those on the beach today looking as well. Here’s a photo for reference… thank you!”

Members of the Facebook page enthusiastically shared Teal's story and before long it caught the attention of Asci, a resident of Marshfield, MA, who wrote to Francesca and told her, "Don't lose hope." He was on the case.

Asci failed in his first two attempts to find the ring, but on the third try — on August 14 — he decided to venture further out into the surf.

“It was getting late, it was getting dark, and the tide was coming in,” Asci told The Boston Globe. “I decided to go out deeper than where I thought it was.”

The water was higher than waist level when he got the hit he was hoping for. The ring had been buried under four inches of sand.

Asci sent Teal a photo of his find along with a comical tongue-in-cheek message: “Please tell me this is the ring so I can finally get off this beach.”

The hero ring finder even traveled to the Teal home so Austin could place the ring back on Francesca's finger.

Teal returned to the Hampton Beach Residents & Friends Facebook group to report the great news and to credit the numerous people who helped in the efforts to get her ring back.

“My ring was found and has been brought back to me!” she wrote. “Thank you to everyone who shared that post, sent well wishes or prayed to St. Anthony. But mostly thank you to Lou Asci & all the other very kind, generous & inspiring strangers that took time out of their days to search for it."

She commented that she was overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers.

"It has been so amazing to witness humanity in this positive way & has brought so much faith to myself & others," she added. "People helping people, I will always extend my hand to others in the way you all have showed to me. As my Dad would say, ‘Do good, be good.’ Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Ironically, Asci found a second ring — a men's wedding band — while searching for Teal's ring. He shared news about his find on the Hampton Beach Residents & Friends Facebook group and is hoping to return it to its rightful owner.

Credits: Images courtesy of Francesca Teal.

Rare Purple Pearl Emerges From Littleneck Clam Appetizer at Delaware Eatery

A Pennsylvania family enjoying a vacation at Rehoboth Beach, DE, expected the trip would net a lot of quality time and a bounty of souvenir mugs and T-shirts. What they got as a bonus was a rare purple pearl and a memory of a lifetime.

Scott Overland of Phoenixville, PA, was finishing up his littleneck clams appetizer at Salt Air restaurant when he encountered a hard object.

“I thought I bit down on a piece of shell or something,” Overland told delawareonline.com. “My wife thought it was a piece of candy because it looked like those candy dots.”

The bright lavender object was domed at the top and flat on the back, similar to the button candies that come on a paper roll. But, when Overland inspected the inside of the clam shell, he noticed an indentation where the pearl had grown. He placed it there and it fit perfectly.

“We had never heard of a pearl in a clam," he added. "I always thought they came in oysters.”

Overland has since learned that natural pearls do, indeed, grow in clams. They are very rare and a single specimen — depending on the size, quality and shape — can be worth thousands of dollars.

Pearls found in clams are classified as non-nacreous and have a porcelain-like appearance. Pearls grown in oysters present a deeper glow caused by layers of nacre that refract the light.

Natural pearls are organic gems, created by a mollusk totally by chance, without human intervention. Cultured pearls, by comparison, are grown under controlled conditions, where a bead is implanted in the body of the mollusk to stimulate the secretion of nacre.

Clams served at the Salt Air restaurant are the popular northern quahog variety grown by Cherrystone Aqua Farms in the Chesapeake Bay. A spokesperson for the grower's parent company, Ballard Clams and Oysters, told delawareonline.com that he hears about diners finding pearls in their clams or oysters two or three times a year.

Overland, 37, told Fox 5 DC that he was planning to get the pearl appraised and had no immediate plans to sell it.

He said that the craziest part of the story is that the clams were nearly returned to the kitchen uneaten because they came with a pepper garnish that Overland's wife didn't care for.

They decided to accept the appetizer as it was presented and were rewarded with a glistening gem.

“It’s a fun story and a fun memory,” Overland told delawareonline.com.

Credits: Images courtesy of Scott Overland.

McDonald's 'Litter and Glamour' Campaign Encourages Proper Trash Disposal

McDonald's Netherlands is encouraging the proper disposal of trash by giving away limited-edition jewelry inspired by discarded fast-food packaging. Among the items are gold earrings made to look like empty dipping sauce containers and a red crystal pendant resembling a slightly scrunched french fry box.

Created by the TBWA\Neboko ad agency, the “Litter and Glamour” campaign includes 258 participating restaurants, each of which has installed a special golden trash can. Customers who drop their waste in the special receptacle between August 16 and September 12 are automatically entered to win one of the seven unique items from the collection.

A 30-second commercial supporting the campaign shows how an average McDonald's customer can become a red-carpet celebrity by simply throwing her rubbish in a bin. The spot shows the woman finishing up a drink in a McDonald's parking lot and throwing out the cup. Then the scene transitions to a fantasy starring the same woman and the same drink. This time the paparazzi and fans watch breathlessly as she walks toward a golden trash can and tosses the cup inside. This woman is a winner, of course, and she joyfully shows off her reward — a dazzling french fry box necklace. The master of ceremonies explains, "In this way, we make the neighborhood a little more beautiful."

“Turning seemingly worthless items you find in the streets into valuable jewelry is very disruptive, especially when you stimulate people to throw away their waste into a bin and have the chance to win it back as a limited collection of McDonald’s jewelry," Darre van Dijk, chief creative officer for TBWA\Neboko, said in a statement. "Now that’s how you encourage good behavior!"

An independent notary will determine in advance the time, date and location of each winning trash deposit. The customer who drops trash in a golden receptacle at that exact time (or the who is first after that moment) will be the winner.

In addition to the dipping sauce container earrings and the french fry box pendant, the collection includes a milk shake lapel pin, a Big Mac box ring, a coffee creamer pendant, a soft drink cup pendant and mini french fry box dangle earrings.

The design and fabrication of the collection is the result of a collaboration between the sixth-generation jewelry firm De Vaal and casting specialist Bronze Special Art.

The anti-littering campaign carries on the messaging of McDonald's previous initiatives called "You Bin It, You Win It" (2020) and "Trash Dance" (2021).

Currently, 91% of the product packaging used by McDonald's in the Netherlands is made from renewable, recycled or certified materials. The goal is 100% by 2025.

Check out the “Litter and Glamour” commercial here...

Credits: Jewelry photos courtesy of McDonald's. Paparazzi screen capture via Youtube.com / TBWA\NEBOKO.